Bandar Seri Begawan, formerly (until 1970) Brunei Town, capital of Brunei. The city lies along the Brunei River near its mouth on Brunei Bay, an inlet of the South China Sea on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Bandar Seri Begawan was once predominantly an agricultural trade centre and river port. After suffering extensive damage during World War II, it was largely rebuilt and became the country’s administrative and financial centre, with a port at the nearby mouth of the Muara River. Notable buildings include the Istana Nurul Iman (the royal palace), the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, and the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, which is among the largest mosques in Southeast Asia. Located on the main road running southwestward along Borneo’s coast to Seria and Kuala Belait, Bandar Seri Begawan is home to Brunei’s only international airport. It also has ferry terminals offering service to neighbouring ports. Pop. (2001) city, 27,285; (2004 est.) urban area, 81,500.

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independent Islamic sultanate on the northern coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is bounded to the north by the South China Sea and on all other sides by the East Malaysian state of Sarawak, which also divides the state into two disconnected segments of unequal size. The western...

arm of the western Pacific Ocean that borders the Southeast Asian mainland. It is bounded on the northeast by the Taiwan Strait (by which it is connected to the East China Sea); on the east by Taiwan and the Philippines; on the southeast and south by Borneo, the southern limit of the Gulf of...

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Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital of Brunei, a country in Southeast Asia. It is also Brunei’s largest city. The city has a port on the Brunei River. Ships can travel from the port to the South China Sea. Bandar Seri Begawan is a center for the trade of farm products. It also has factories for processing Brunei’s rich reserves of oil and natural gas.

The capital and largest city of Brunei, a small Islamic country on the island of Borneo, is Bandar Seri Begawan. The city is a commercial and financial center and a river port. It lies along the Brunei River near its mouth on Brunei Bay, an inlet of the South China Sea. Its landmarks include the gold-domed Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque; the 1,788-room royal palace; and the Brunei Museum and the Malay Technology Museum, just outside the city. Alongside the modern city is an older settlement called Kampong Ayer ("Water Village"), where people live in houses raised on stilts along inlets of the river. A network of raised wooden walkways connects the houses.